FREEPORT — Freeport-area unemployment rates jumped back to 2010 levels in February, according to Illinois Department of Employment Security estimates.

Stephenson County posted jobless numbers of 12.4 percent, compared with 11.8 percent in January and 10.8 percent in February 2012.

It was the highest jobless rate for the county since March 2010.

The fact that Stephenson County’s unemployment rate is rising again isn’t a surprise. The Sensata plant closed at the end of 2012, putting nearly 175 people out of work.

Sensata became a political football in 2012 because it is owned by Bain Capital, which long was run by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

The lack of jobs runs deeper than the loss of Sensata. The state estimated that 20,303 people were working in Stephenson County in February. That’s nearly 700 fewer than February 2012.

The employment woes extended to Jo Daviess County, where the economy is heavily dependent on tourism in Galena. Still, the month’s 10.4 percent was the first time the unemployment rate topped 10 percent since March 2010.